Two vases of flowers and a fan 1885

Curator: Paul Gauguin's "Two Vases of Flowers and a Fan," painted in 1885, presents a curious composition of flora against a subdued backdrop. The very materiality of the oil paint is quite apparent; one can almost trace the movement of the brush. Editor: The painting feels undeniably melancholic, doesn’t it? There’s a sense of fading beauty, like a farewell to summer, intensified by that closed fan in the foreground. Curator: Precisely! Consider the craft involved in creating the visual texture of the flowers and the ceramic vases. It suggests an interest in challenging traditional high art hierarchy, and blurring the boundary between still life and design object. Editor: I see your point. Gauguin was positioned between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, when broader social anxieties about industrialization, class, gender roles, and colonialism found representation. It's hard not to view even this quiet scene through that lens. Do these carefully arranged flowers signal a desire to contain or domesticate nature itself? Curator: I agree. Let’s look closer at the brushwork and use of pigment in each object, since it affects not only the emotional tone but speaks to Gauguin’s technique. It reflects his understanding of colour theory, the chemical makeup of paints, and availability of those raw materials within 19th-century pigment production. Editor: Yes, but perhaps we can also look at the fan, the closed object in the bottom, as speaking to the roles and status that may have affected women specifically. The closed fan maybe suggesting repressed societal conventions for women. It is suggestive in many different ways. Curator: Indeed. Editor: Ultimately, contemplating this piece inspires me to examine our assumptions about art’s purpose and ability to tell many stories, depending on the frame applied. Curator: Agreed. Studying his creative process highlights the interconnected nature of making and meaning. The legacy of craftsmanship that influenced generations and continues to impact art creation is what resonates most.